The present invention relates to optical fiber storage arrangements in general, and more particularly to an arrangement for storing a coil of optical fiber prior to and during an inner peel deployment of the optical fiber from the coil, as well as to a method of manufacturing such as arrangement.
In recent times, there has been a dramatic increase in the use of optical fibers in the communication field. With increasing popularity of optical fiber cables, there is an increased demand for arrangements capable of storing the optical fiber prior to and during deployment. It will be appreciated that, because of its fragility, the optical fiber must be protected from impacts. Moreover, to achieve unproblematical deployment of the optical fiber, it must be assured that the optical fiber is payed out in as uniform a manner as possible and without undue bending or twisting of the optical fiber. It is particularly important to satisfy these conditions in military applications where the conditions are not conductive to gentle handling of the optical fiber.
It is currently customary to coil the optical fiber and to accommodate the coil of optical fiber in a canister for storage, transportation and future use. However, experience has shown that the impact-protecting and payout-assuring function of the conventional canisters is very limited, so that there is a pronounced need for developing an optical fiber storage arrangement which has improved properties and especially such as is suited for rapid deployment of the optical fiber therefrom, such as during the deployment of the optical fiber from a helicopter or another rapidly moving craft.